For someone without a gluten intolerance, I’ve tried a whole lot of gluten-free products in my time.

My mum has a long list of dietary requirements, so I’ve ended up trying the substitute products over the last decade or so, sometimes without even realising. So I’m pretty ‘with it’ when it comes to health foods, trending diets, superfoods, supplements and substitutes.

When I heard we got Koja Health onboard at YsEpicure, I jumped to check out their range. It’s not that I enjoy gluten-free bread over regular bread (I’m not crazy), but I am constantly intrigued by the possibility that a ‘substitute’ version of something might taste as good as or better than the original.

Look, I don’t know if pancakes made without white flour and butter could ever be better than ones made with, but the Koja cinnamon pancake mix has got to be the closest you’ll get.

Let me run you through it. I enlisted my mum for expert critique, and we were both blown away by how simple it was.

Pour the mix into a bowl. At first glance, mum noticed there were chia seeds included in the mixture. Yep, the mix includes that glorious little superfood packed full of protein, plus almond meal, buckwheat, organic brown rice protein, organic black bean powder and organic cinnamon. By this early stage, mum was sold.

One egg, a splash of milk and a good stir and we were ready to cook. Luckily we have a ready supply of organic coconut products in the pantry. The team at Koja suggest cooking these in coconut oil, which I’ve never used before and I swear, it’s changed my life - it smells and tastes so good.

We didn’t think the batter would stretch to six pancakes like the package said, but in the end it did serve two people with six modestly sized pancakes.We dressed ours with organic coconut yoghurt, fresh berries and a drizzle of organic maple syrup.

Truth time: awesome for a gluten-free product. These were tasty - the cinnamon pancakes with the coconut oil make for a great flavour match. Like most white flour alternatives, the end product we found was a little dryer than your average pancake, but the flavours were definitely there and it was easily overcome with our yoghurt and maple syrup dressing.  

These can be made vegan by switching out the milk for almond or soy milk, and the egg with some mashed banana. They’re really high in protein, which is a great way to start your day and super important if you are on a restricted diet.

So that’s two thumbs up for Koja pancakes and you can try them for yourself HERE from YsEpicure.